President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke again today by phone about the situation in Gaza. The President underscored the United States’ strong condemnation of Hamas’ rocket and tunnel attacks against Israel and reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself. The President also reiterated the United States’ serious and growing concern about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives, as well as the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Building on Secretary Kerry’s efforts, the President made clear the strategic imperative of instituting an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire that ends hostilities now and leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities based on the November 2012 ceasefire agreement. The President reaffirmed the United States’ support for Egypt’s initiative, as well as regional and international coordination to end hostilities.

The President underscored the enduring importance of ensuring Israel’s security, protecting civilians, alleviating Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, and enacting a sustainable ceasefire that both allows Palestinians in Gaza to lead normal lives and addresses Gaza’s long-term development and economic needs, while strengthening the Palestinian Authority. The President stressed the U.S. view that, ultimately, any lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must ensure the disarmament of terrorist groups and the demilitarization of Gaza.

“The President also reiterated the United States’ serious and growing concern about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives, as well as the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

“The President also reiterated the United States’ serious and growing concern about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives, as well as the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza …. [he] made clear the strategic imperative of instituting an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire”.

yes, GGail. PBO will do what is right. That has been what I’ve been trying to say since this mess started. There are real Bad Actors in this tragedy and sooner or later as with all of POTUS’ foes, they will come to grief.

Chipsticks, I wish that meant something to me. It sounds like weak tea. Bringing my comment over from the last post: It’s utterly sad that when 192 kids are slaughtered in a couple of weeks by Israeli terrorist missile strikes – the kids with nowhere to hide – not even a UN shelter —- that the statement of “our serious and growing concern about Palestinian civilian deaths” is considered the strongest condemnation of Bibi by a US president. That asshole Bibi reminds me a whole lot of War Criminal Dick Cheney. Even their wives are similar pieces of crap.

Serious question: Can someone explain why we are such pawns of Israel?

forus50 – smh. I think you stumbled onto the wrong blogsite. Yes, we are all sadden by the conflict and deaths, but to question PBO and his efforts? Really? We’ve only received a snippet of what the President is working on – and you want what?

Hey GGail, I didn’t stumble on the wrong blogsite; I’ve been here for 5-6 years, I think the same year Chipsticks started it. :) I’m not questioning POTUS or his efforts AT ALL. I AM questioning what hold Israel has over the US. So many are outraged over what Israel has done to Gaza in the past few weeks. We pay 10-20 billion in taxes every year to support Israel which makes these crimes of killing unnarmed citizens in Gaza bought and paid for by the US. http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/07/17/how-much-does-israel-cost-the-average-american/

I know what you mean Forus, and I would love nothing more than to see Israel loudly condemned for its actions, but this is progress:

“The President also reiterated the United States’ serious and growing concern about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths … as well as the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza …. The President underscored the enduring importance of … alleviating Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, and enacting a sustainable ceasefire that both allows Palestinians in Gaza to lead normal lives and addresses Gaza’s long-term development and economic needs.”

I will never, ever, ever understand the power Israel has over America, even PBO saying the above will, no doubt, bring yet more vitriol his way.

I honestly don’t think anything or anyone could reign in Netanyahu, GGail, he’s just a bloodthirsty warmonger. Only the Israeli electorate can rid the world of him. And in fairness, it’s US money that largely props up Israeli military power, so there’s damn all the UN can do about it.

It’s because of AIPAC which is a horribly right winged lobbyist group that has members from both the democratic party and republican party. Even a friend of mine who is pro-Israel is starting to say that Israel is overstepping and I was like WHAT?! They’ve been committing war crimes, not simply ‘overstepping.’ I kept my temper in, but realized that is what we’re facing as Americans, a powerful lobby that directly influences people on this issue.

It is the lobbying, yes.
But it may be more than just lobbying.
What I’m wondering is that when Tahrir Square was happening in Egypt many Americans like me became aware for the first time that the Egyptian military many of them, trained at West Point, had close personal relationships with US military families and conducted joint Egypt-US military exercises. Our co-operation with Egypt and our deals with them gave the US favored nation status with the Suez Canal, for example.

I don’t know how many, if any, US troops are stationed in the Negev.
What else don’t we know?

Btw- just bc I a skeptic on Middle East peace and Americas role doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on.
Due to my experiences, I have little faith that either side will ever stop.
Also, I have read some comments on this site by some, not to pretty if you ask me?

It is because you speak as though your experiences are wider than ours.
Which they very well may be.
Certainly as to the US military, for sure.

But the rest of us at TOD also have our experiences.
Mine in Israel, for a clear example.
I was there when Israel announced its withdrawal from Gaza and I heard the israeli expectation of what would happen next.

In the words of an israeli general on the ground at the time the plan was to lock gaza down and let it fall to ruins.

Which is just what they did. Providing bare existence levels of food, water, electric, economic opportunity and no way out. look at the photos of the gazans. They are so thin. Do you think this is from workouts at the gym?

Not at all, Jovie. My comment was not really focused on the ME situation per se. I’m speaking from a very general perspective where, more often than not, you go for the negative interpretation. You do share interesting info from time to time, but often your seeming constant cynicism dwarfs the info you’ve shared and becomes the focus. This then makes it difficult for me to take you seriously. I suspect you couldn’t care less about my opinion, still I’d hate to think that you enjoy seeing only the ‘bad’ in every situation. A bit depressing! That’s all I’m saying. (The end for me.)

Unfortunately I doubt it. Don’t take it personally, but nothing this president can do can stop the hatred on both sides.
My experiences, talking to both sides over there, tells me such.
It is what it is…

Jovie this is not about hatred because there will ALWAYS be haters no matter what he does. This is about making tough choices, rejecting models of cynicism – not when it’s easy but when it’s HARD. If PBO had to heed cynical voices about people “on both sides” who hate him, he wouldn’t have even ran for President let alone have the audacity to be elected TWICE. And by being 2X elected he has done a great deal to move this country forward – some of which is already obvious but others which have not yet been realized, but will be seen and felt decades from now. That’s what happens when people have the courage to cast aside the cynicism which comes easily and is always there lurking in the background, and instead have the courage to choose and embrace the much harder choice, hope.

This has been going on for thousands of years.
It’s the three religions, each claim
they have first rights to God.
Netenyahu was in the special forces in the six day war.
It’s like having McChrstal as president over here.

I am sorry to say, but that is a false statement! Jews and Muslim have lived side by side peacefully in many countries of the Middle East. With all its faults, Islam always respected Jews and Christians–the people of the book! Historically, Jews faced more persecution in Christian Europe than they did in Islamic countries. For your information not all Palestinians are muslims. While it’s true that most palestinians are muslims, there are a few Palestinians who are Christians. The Struggle between Israel and the Palestinians is all about the creation of the state of Israel, in 1948, as a Jewish homeland, which resulted in the displacement of Palestinians, both muslim and christian, from their native land. Following the 1967 war, Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank were occupied by Israel. Basically there are really two solutions, both of which are not acceptable to extreme zionists like Netanyahu. The first solution, now embraced by everyone, is the two state solution. Most of the land that was originally Palestine is now Israel. It is the 1967 occupied territories (quite a bit of the West Bank has been annexed by Israel) that people hope you could establish a sovereign state of Palestine. The other solution is the creation of a Democratic secular state in all of Palestine, in which Israelis and Palestinians, of all faiths, enjoy equal rights. Such a state would embrace cultural and religious pluralism. The problem is both the two state solution and the one state secular democracy are violently rejected by extreme right wingers in Israel. So we are left with a status quo in which Palestinians are colonized people with no rights that Israelis are bound to respect.

A colonized people will always aspire to be free. The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people is basically a conflict between the colonizers and the colonized. For you to frame it as some intractable religious struggle that has been going on for thousands of years is totally false and, quite frankly, simplistic. Such framing encourages cynicism and despair and a belief that there is no solution.

Did you not notice the thousands of Israelis holding demonstrations to protest against their government invasion and brutalization of Palestinians in Gaza? Not all Israelis are consumed with hatred against Palestinians. While President Obama cannot stop Netanyahu and the right wingers in Israel from hating Palestinians, his actions may inspire young Israelis to start viewing Palestinians as human beings, and to realize that Israel will never have peace until Palestinians receive justice.

to take it further it is punishment to the Palestinian people for formally bringing Hamas into their government…..

reading the discussion upthread….re the President’s response and some wanting that response it to be harsher….I have noticed over the years…that the president does not engage in BS rhetoric…he is about solutions of what is possible….

I have to come to understand that for the President it is not about knee jerk reactions….and inflammatory rhetoric….
I do not know what is going on behind the scenes….alI i can do is pray that The Creator continues to grant our President Courage and Wisdom and to grant me patience as I watch these world events unfold…

“I have noticed over the years… that the president does not engage in BS rhetoric…he is about solutions of what is possible….

Thank you, prettyfoot58. I have tried to keep my thoughts to myself because like you, prettyfoot58, I totally believe that the behind the scenes.. are all very well thought out and precise decisions that POB is making and will continue to make with his team. I like you, at this point have made for me personally in this particular situation, a matter of asking The Creator to give PBO and his entire team a well of Wisdom, Patience, and Just dealings with this entire situation. I believe in PBO and I will trust him in this situation. I will also pray for all of the pain , and suffering that has been caused to all of us on either side to be comforted with peace and patience as we come together to give support to our president. So many are suffering, but I do believe PBO cannot and should not be expected to take the negative and fruitless bashing in this matter nor should Sec. John Kerry. Let us give them their space to act with much thought to each decision in this very important matter. HZ

WHEN JESUS CHRIST RETURNS THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST…UNTIL THEN UNFORTUNATELY…BLOOD RUNS IN THE STREETS ON BOTH SIDES. I PRAY FOR THEM AND IT REALLY MAKES ME SAD THAT NOONE CAN GET ALONG AND SO MANY ARE LOSING THEIR CHILDREN AND ENTIRE FAMILIES IN THIS WAR….MAY GOD MAKE THEM SEE………………..

I wish these statements would include the response the president got because he’s delivering some home truths to Netanyahu and telling him that he can’t keep killing Palestinians. It would be great to see a massive global humanitarian response to what’s happening with medical supplies, food, temporary shelter and other supplies pouring into Gaza. There has to come a point where Israel has no choice but to stop and it needs to come soon. The more Netanyahu publicly criticizes the President and SOS Kerry, the deeper the hole he’s digging for himself.

Netanyahu is PURE EVIL like Dick Cheney. I have to believe he loves seeing Palestinians killed; it gives him great satisfaction, it’s a war he’s been wanting for a long time and just like Dick Cheney he had some fake reason for invading Gaza. The assault of residential homes and schools killing almost a thousand civilians is a massive and indisputable war criime, no different than Assad or Gaddafi.

Forus, people like Cheney go too far because they can’t think see beyond their hatred and start things they can’t successfully finish. Once Americans stupidly elected GWB, they couldn’t do much about Cheney, but Netanyahu operates in a Parliamentary system and things could go against him before he realizes it. I think the push back against Israel is going to grow next week, until the whole narrative begins to spiral out of Netanyahu’s control. I never underestimate what PBO can do from behind the scenes.

David Gregory has zero journalistic ethics! The same is true of mainstream media people like Chuck Todd, Jon Karl, Ed Henry and others. NBC’s MTP should be renamed to properly reflect the program’s agenda. The new name I would suggest is: “Meet The Republican Propaganda Press”- (MTRPP).

I have to say the lamestream media has been horribly one sided yet again all on Israel’s side. However the media is having a hard time curbing the flow of info that is actually happening the truth is coming out. Stuff that everyone, including myself was blind to.

Those who Control the information, shape the discussions…..until slowly, the Internet and The emerging of the Social Media…….Rome was Not Built in one Day.

Until the People of the world, using technology to force the Press to be what they were originally indented to be……Report the Who, Why, Where, When and What………The truth and nothing, but the truth……their diminishing and vanishing existence will continue.

WELL DONE…I LOVE SEEING CHRIS WALLACE’S EGO DROP TO THE FLOOR…THE FACT OF THIS IS QUITE SIMPLE…NOT TO THUMP YOU ALL TO DEATH BUT THE BIBLE DEALS WITH THE ALIEN/IMMIGRANT SITUATION OFTEN…JESUS CHRIST WOULD NOT AND DOES NOT APPRECIATE AMERICAN REACTIONS ON THE BORDER TO THESE CHILDREN. NOW YOU ALL PICK WHOM YOU WANT TO OFFEND IN YOUR LIFETIMES…BUT JESUS CHRIST AND HIS LOVE FOR ALL OF US…HIS COMPASSION…IS NOT SOMEONE I WISH TO OFFEND. THE HUMAN HEART THAT HOLDS COMPASSION…TRUE COMPASSION…WOULD…WITHOUT QUESTION…DO EVERYTHING TO HELP THESE CHILDREN. GOD HAS BLESSED THIS COUNTRY BECAUSE WE HAVE BLESSED OTHERS…AMERICA…AT THIS TIME IN HISTORY WITH ITS RACIST AND SELFISH ACTIONS…JUST MAY HAVE TO TAKE A NUMBER!

Well said, Jeff! What you said goes to the heart of the problem about the conflict between Israel and the stateless Palestinian people. Once you deny the humanity of the people you dislike, it’s then easy to justify inflicting genocide on them. What is really tragic, for me, is to witness a people, who descended from those who were the victims of genocide, are now the ones inflicting genocide on the people they detest. In my humble opinion, what Israel is doing to Gaza id genocide! After viewing the pics documenting the horrific destruction of Gaza, all I could do is weep. I am so heartened that thousands of Jewish people, both in Israel and around the world, are out in the streets protesting against the horrors Israel is inflicting on the Gaza residents, including many innocent children. How do you teach the surviving Palestinian children, who are now witnessing the killing of of their relatives, and the wanton destruction of their homes, schools, hospitals and mosques, to grow up loving Israelis?

A national survey finds the average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline has plummeted 9 cents a gallon over the past two weeks to $3.58.
That’s the largest drop this year.
Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday the decrease came despite a rise in crude-oil prices.
Lundberg says U.S. refiners, enjoying plentiful supplies, aggressively cut wholesale prices to chase sales.

Oh goody. That must mean we can better afford to ramp up our contribution to keeping the CO2 levels high, and adding to even more critical global warming. Hey, y’all. Am still back on R&S. A friend has asked for some help with her mil, who recently had a mild stroke. So, I’m out a great deal this coming week, and my kitty is not having a good day at all. Light Around us all, thank you, and God Bless our beloved President and the workers toward Peace. Back someday! <3

I don’t mind a debate on any given issue Jovie. I will try to learn and then engage with anyone. But there has got to be context. My post mentioned nothing of YA. I want justice for all. But Justice without context and just based on not getting to the heart of the problem can be pointless.

Fact remains that 1.8M are not allowed to live like Human Beings, YA or not. Fact is that had this been any other group of people, the powers to be would have stopped it. Fact is that the 22 Muslim nations are Not unified nor morally angst to push for a true solution. Whenever lives are lost, as humans, forgiveness is harder to swallow.

The Golden Rule has got to be the Moral justification here. Majority of the world Community can see and are watching. These are man made problems. Per JFK, Man can ultimately solve problems created by them.

Israel created the conditions..and then blamed the occupied people for rebelling….

I keep thinking about that map…that shows how over the last 50 yrs or so…Israel has annexed Palestinian Territory…
the Palestinian People have lived in Jim Crow/Apartheid like conditions…..no industry…no infrastructure…no HOPE!

************

Israel has deliberately targeted Civilian areas…killing over 1000 people…which is against International law…and is a war crime…

I was proud of myself this afternoon. I was able to diplomatically talked to my two neighbors about continued dog poop problems. One neighbor, I have always suspected it was one of his dogs doing the deed on my yard. He denied it was one of his dogs and pointed a house and named another family from another street. I drove out there. There were 3 men with two dogs standing and chatting and I was able to state my case and also, I was not shy. I told them that the residents in/on my streets fingered that one house and the owner. He was apologetic and he promised to do better. Now, I have a face connected to two dogs doing the deed on my yard. It’s been years and now, I have a name and a face. I feel Good.